So while most of us were enjoying fireworks, swilling cheap beer, and scarfing down wieners, social media got itself all whipped up into a frothy lather this weekend when a hashtag calling for the firing of Captain America writer Rick Remender trended on Twitter. The calls for Remender's termination came in response to the latest issue of Cap, in which vaguely 30ish Sam Wilson, The Falcon, had an alcohol-inspired night of passion with genetically engineered extra-dimensional Arnim Zola spawn Jet Black. Proponents of the hashtag insist that Black was a toddler at the beginning of Steve Rogers' stay in Zola's pocket dimension, and that, since Cap spent twelve years there, she is currently around 14 or 15 years old, and, therefore, the sexual encounter was statutory rape. However, the official position presented in the comics, from Black's own words, is that she's 23.

Who's right? Beats the hell out of me. I stopped reading that book months ago because Remender's Marvel work is kinda lackluster, and he has a shitty attitude (see all the RELATED posts in this article for more on that). There might be something there. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Remender stuck his foot in his mouth. But then, there might not. It wouldn't be the first time people got outraged over nothing either. The Daily Dot makes a case for it. being offensive.

Rich Johnston has another idea though. On Bleeding Cool, the rumormonger penned an article accusing the #FireRickRemender crew of being closet racists angry that a black man was sleeping with a white woman. He claimed that fans may have been confused by the inconsistent scrawlings of coasting-since-the-nineties John Romita Jr., who depicted the tween Jet Black as a toddler in the comic despite the script backing up Johnston's version of the age. In any case, Johnston's interesting tactic of countering outrage over sexism with outrage over racism took a turn for the absurd when Johnston compared Remender to William Shakespeare, since the Bard's 1595 classic Romeo and Juliet also featured teenagers having sex.

The drastic turn of events reportedly has corporate stuffed shirts baffled as to how to handle the whole thing. Do they fire Remender in a knee jerk reaction to the hashtag trending more than ever? Do they take advantage of all the attention and release a month's worth of #FireRickRemender variant covers? Do they hire ousted SiriusXM shock jock Anthony Cumia to write Captain America? Do they unleash a flood of hobo piss upon the internet to drown everyone, the supporters and the detractors, like a vengeful corporate God, and start fresh?

Nobody knows, but it's certainly interesting to follow the hashtag right now. So you should probably do that.

Meanwhile, Johnston's hashtag, #FireWilliamShakespeare, failed to gain traction, possibly because Twitter's 140 character limit makes it nearly impossible to tweet in sonnet form. Let us know whose side you're on in the comments below! Do it in the form of a sonnet for bonus points!

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About the Author - Jude Terror

Jude Terror is the Webmaster Supreme of The Outhouse and a sarcastic ace reporter dedicated to delivering irreverent comics and entertainment news to The Outhouse's dozens of loyal readers. Driven by a quest for vengeance, Jude Terror taught himself to program and joined The Outhouse. He instantly began working toward his goal of forcing the internet comics community to take itself less seriously and failing miserably. A certified trash eater ruining the pristine field of comics journalism with his sarcasm and goofiness, Jude Terror is secretly friendly and congenial, so if you've got a complaint, why not just bring it up to him instead of subtweeting like a jackass, jackass? You can find him on Twitter or try your luck with an email, but keep in mind that he is notoriously unreliable and may not get back to you right away. Unless you want to send him free stuff, in which case he'll get back to you immediately.